Texas high school pranksters will wear "shaming" sign in criminal plea deal
(CBS/KHOU) SUGAR LAND, Texas - Eleven students accused of criminal activity in connection to a high school prank in the Houston area have accepted a plea deal that requires them to wear a sign around their neck.
The teens will be forced to stand outside Clements High School in Sugar Land wearing a sign that reads, "What I did was a CRIME not a prank," reports CBS affiliate KHOU.
In all, 16 teens were charged with criminal trespassing for an incident in May which they allegedly broke into the school planning to chain furniture together.In addition to the sign, the plea deal includes probation and community service.
The lawyer for one teen who refused the deal said he does not believe any of them should be subjected to public humiliation, reports KPRC.
"The message I see is one of humiliation and demeaning," attorney Steve "Rocket" Rosen said, according to KPRC. "When you attack a person's name and you give them a record, they're done."
Bend County District Attorney John Healy says he thinks the accused teens will learn a valuable lesson from the signs.
"Shame constructively administered is a good teaching tool," Healy said, KPRC reports.